A Voltaic Pile (c. 1800)

This voltaic pile consists of thirty metal disks separated by layers
of (dampened) cloth. During the first part of the nineteenth century
large voltaic piles were constructed to provide sources of continuous
current. Volta demonstrated the actions of piles such as the one shown
to Napoleon who was reportedly quite impressed. Bonaparte, incidentally,
was very partial to scientists; in 1813 he allowed free passage to Davy
and Faraday to visit Ampère in Paris despite the hostilities between
England and France.